September 4, 2018 1:18pm EDTSeptember 4, 2018 1:18pm EDTAmerican Football, News, English, Features, NFLThe 2018 NFL season is one that will be defined by a series of unknowns, setting it up to be one of the most intriguing in recent memory.Questions surround Carson Wentz, Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins and Blake Bortles heading into the 2018 NFL season(Getty Images)

Nicholas McGee

Published on Sep. 4, 2018

Sep. 4, 2018

The NFL’s dirty little secret, best aired here before the start of another season, is that nobody really knows anything.

It’s a know-it-all league but the sport has grown so complex that it’s impossible to know what’s going through each coach’s mind, to deconstruct every subtlety and nuance of a coordinator’s scheme and then layer those atop the hit-or-miss nature of the physical and mental performances of 53 men each week for 17 weeks to arrive at a conclusion.

In short, predicting the outcome of an entire season is a futile task.

Of course unpredictability is the inherent allure of sports, yet in 2018 the NFL truism that "nobody really knows anything" is one that rings particularly accurate.

This is set to be a season dominated by a series of unknowns.

The 2017 season ended in the most surprising manner: The Eagles knocked off the Patriots in Super Bowl 52 thanks to an incredible MVP performance from previously maligned backup quarterback Nick Foles.

Yet with No. 1 quarterback Carson Wentz not cleared for contact after the devastating knee injury that ended his MVP-caliber 2017 and Foles enduring a dreadful preseason, it's fair to question if the quarterback position actually could be what holds the defending champions back in a loaded NFC.

However, questions large and small abound across the contenders in the conference.

The Vikings have unsurprisingly been tipped to contend for the Lombardi Trophy after last season's run to the NFC title game, but there can't be complete confidence in Kirk Cousins. His impressive career has been blighted by high-profile, late-game turnovers — excelling behind an underwhelming offensive line.

Much also will be expected of Minnesota's NFC North rivals in Green Bay. However, while the preseason suggested Aaron Rodgers is ready to resume padding his Hall of Fame resume, how far the Packers go is more likely to hinge on a defense that consistently has disappointed but been infused with young talent in the secondary.

The NFC South is a lottery and there's particular pressure on Falcons offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and Panthers wide receivers to get their respective attacks going in their efforts to topple a Saints team hoping to continue an unexpected upturn on defense.

Out West, the Rams appear perfectly set up for a Super Bowl run, but to turn that ambition into reality they'll need the rash of top-tier talent acquired this offseason to jell quickly and quarterback Jared Goff to prove that his stunning sophomore season wasn't an anomaly. Meanwhile, whether Russell Wilson can overcome the talent drain in Seattle will play a big factor in a deciding a division in which the largest unknown involves 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who has yet to lose a start and, along with his Niners team, has encountered hype and doubts in equal measures.

A daunting early schedule will offer an early indication of Garoppolo and the Niners' potential, though, interestingly, the question that casts the biggest shadow over the NFL in 2018 involves his former mentor.

Tom Brady's acceptance that retirement is coming "sooner rather than later" should have Patriots fans concerned for their long-term aspirations, but in the short term things continue to look rosy in New England, with little in the way of established challengers blocking their path to any Super Bowl.

The Steelers could be poised for a final year with Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell (yet to rejoin the team) and Antonio Brown in the same offense, but that could be wasted if a defense that hemorrhaged points to the Jaguars in the playoffs is vulnerable again. One thing is certain: the loss of linebacker Ryan Shazier to a serious spinal injury late last season will be felt.

Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles remains one of the league's shakiest bets and a regression after Jacksonville came within a defensive stop of the Super Bowl would be no shock. Who could step into the void in that event in the AFC South? The X-factors: Marcus Mariota's progression with a new Titans offensive coordinator after a season of stagnation 2017, the Texans' ability to avoid injuries to stars Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney, and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck's return after a shoulder injury cost him all of 2017.

Philip Rivers is the only proven quarterback in the AFC West, but the Chargers' misfortune — if they didn't have bad luck regarding injuries, they'd have no luck at all — threatens their status as contenders. Typically a safe bet for the playoffs, the Chiefs are a volatile proposition in 2018, even in a division in which the Raiders and Broncos have been consumed by ineptitude. Gunslinger Patrick Mahomes is under center with just one start to his name and a disappointing defense lost pieces in the offseason. This season will provide the first clue whether the Chiefs were right to gamble on a 2017 draft-day trade for Mahomes.

Whether it's in the stacked NFC or an AFC in which it's tough to look beyond the Patriots and Steelers, going into this season there is no contender without an unresolved question. Add in one of the most divisive rookie quarterback classes in recent memory, and there can be little question 2018 is the year of the unknown in the NFL.

The unknown is commonly seen as something to fear, but that's not the case here. Nobody really knows anything, and that sets the stage for one intriguing NFL season.